CPM Intergovernmental Relations 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Interstate compacts are legally significant because once approved by Congress they become:
- Advisory agreements with no legal standing
- Federal law binding on party states (Correct answer)
- Executive orders subject to presidential veto
- Local ordinances enforceable only by state courts
Correct answer: Federal law binding on party states
Congressional consent elevates interstate compacts to the status of federal law, making them enforceable in federal courts and binding on the signatory states.
Question 2: Which grant type gives recipient jurisdictions the broadest discretion in how funds are used?
- Categorical grants
- Formula grants
- Block grants (Correct answer)
- Project grants
Correct answer: Block grants
Block grants consolidate multiple categorical programs into a single grant with broad purpose areas, giving state and local governments maximum flexibility in how they allocate funds.
Question 3: A public manager is coordinating a multi-agency emergency response across city, county, and state lines. The most important initial step is to:
- Wait for the state emergency management director to assume command
- Establish a unified command structure with clear roles and communication protocols (Correct answer)
- Notify federal agencies before taking any local action
- Defer all decisions to elected officials from each jurisdiction
Correct answer: Establish a unified command structure with clear roles and communication protocols
The National Incident Management System (NIMS) calls for establishing unified command early in multi-jurisdictional emergencies to coordinate decision-making and communication.
Question 4: The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA) primarily requires that:
- States must fund all federal mandates within two years
- The Congressional Budget Office estimate costs of federal mandates exceeding $50–100 million on state, local, and tribal governments (Correct answer)
- Federal agencies obtain state approval before imposing new regulations
- All unfunded mandates be repealed within five years of enactment
Correct answer: The Congressional Budget Office estimate costs of federal mandates exceeding $50–100 million on state, local, and tribal governments
UMRA requires the CBO to prepare cost estimates for federal legislation that imposes mandates above the threshold on subnational governments, enhancing congressional transparency.
Question 5: Which concept describes the practice of states competing to attract businesses and residents by offering lower taxes or fewer regulations than neighboring states?
- Cooperative federalism
- Fiscal federalism
- Competitive federalism (Correct answer)
- Coercive federalism
Correct answer: Competitive federalism
Competitive federalism holds that interstate competition for mobile capital and residents disciplines state governments to be more efficient and responsive.
Question 6: A state agency wants to enter a partnership with a neighboring state to share a criminal justice database. The most appropriate legal mechanism is:
- An executive order from the governor
- A memorandum of understanding (MOU) or interstate compact (Correct answer)
- A federal categorical grant application
- A state constitutional amendment
Correct answer: A memorandum of understanding (MOU) or interstate compact
MOUs and interstate compacts are the standard intergovernmental mechanisms for formalizing cooperative agreements between states on shared programs or data systems.
Question 7: In federal grant administration, 'pass-through entities' are:
- Federal agencies that transfer funds directly to individuals
- Non-federal entities that receive federal awards and disburse subgrants to subrecipients (Correct answer)
- Private contractors hired to administer federal programs
- Congressional appropriations subcommittees that approve grant budgets
Correct answer: Non-federal entities that receive federal awards and disburse subgrants to subrecipients
Pass-through entities (typically states or larger local governments) receive federal funds and distribute subgrants to subrecipients such as smaller localities or nonprofits.
CPM Intergovernmental Relations 3
Interstate compacts are legally significant because once approved by Congress they become: